Michael E High

Practice Areas

Michael High was the leader of the firm’s Business and Commercial Services Practice Group for more than 20 years and currently serves as co-leader of the Group. He has extensive experience in representing businesses, investors, lenders and borrowers in a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, including entity formation, shareholder/owner relations, corporate governance, drafting, reviewing and negotiating complex contracts, mergers, acquisitions and dispositions, corporate finance, private placements, venture capital financing (representing both investors and targets), technology licensing and transfers, and the protection and licensing of intellectual property. Michael also represents a number of the state’s largest financial institutions in complex commercial transactions, has represented several Maine colleges and Maine utilities in debt issuances and commercial transactions over many years, and has served as local counsel for a number of national and international firms and their clients on a wide range of complex commercial and project financings.

Recent representative transactions include serving as lead counsel in connection with the purchase and sale of several technology companies (biotechnology and software), the sale of specialty food companies to private equity investors, counsel to senior management in several management buyout transactions, the purchase and sale of seafood businesses, the formation of several investment funds, the representation of venture capital firms and other investors, representing clients in software development and licensing transactions and in the preparation and negotiation of other complex commercial agreements. Michael has a long-established and wide range of business clients and very much enjoys working with them on the contract, governance (including succession planning) and other business issues that arise at every stage of their development, from formation to exit. After graduating from the Cornell Law School, Michael practiced at Choate, Hall & Stewart in Boston, Massachusetts for several years before moving to Maine.